You know that moment when someone you’ve just met asks the occupation question?

“I’m in branding … which is much more than making logos. It’s marketing actually … but not the salesman kind. And interactive … you know, with computers?”

It takes too long to explain! Doctors, lawyers and engineers say it in one word, then get specific about their specialties as the conversation ensues. For crying out loud, we’re professional communicators — why can’t we invent a more succinct description for our profession?

I used to say I was in advertising. Like in Mad Men. By definition, advertising means sponsoring a message in a mass medium (TV, radio, print, etc.) with the intention of persuading consumers to buy something. But ad agencies have always done more, including research, direct mail, promotions, packaging, interactive marketing, even PR.

“Advertising” is too limiting of a description.

PR has the same problem. The Public Relations Society of America offers a lengthy definition of PR that centers on developing effective relationships between various audiences (publics). This might involve actually selling something, although some PR practitioners don’t like to admit it. “Public relations” is too narrow a word to describe all that PR firms do (which sometimes includes advertising).

Corporate communications as a description has the opposite problem: it’s too broad. It means passing information from the organization to both internal and external audiences. Couldn’t that mean a phone call? The International Association of Business Communicators‘ description also includes teaching and training. “Corporate communications” is too vague.

How about marketing? Historically, it meant everything involved in taking goods to the marketplace, as in chickens or cabbages. Now, its meaning has expanded to include services and ideas as well, or as the American Marketing Association says, “offerings that have value.” Still, it’s all about selling, which is why some sales reps call themselves marketing reps. The phrase “integrated marketing” seems redundant.

“Marketing communications” is a shotgun marriage attempting to narrow the definition of “communications” while broadening the meaning of “marketing.” Like “jumbo shrimp.” It’s little but it’s big.

“Branding” or “brand management” seems like a good solution, as it means bringing all of the tools — research, marketing, advertising, PR, direct marketing, interactive marketing, promotion, publicity, packaging, event management, etc. — to bear on building brand loyalty. Interbrand publishes an annual ranking of the value of the top global brands. Unfortunately, many people still think branding is limited to creating logos and identity standards.

And none of these descriptions ever imagined the emergence of direct, database and interactive technologies.

So … you’re at the cocktail party and someone asks, “What line of work are you in?” What do you say?